Reclining-chair.



A. M. RICHARDS.

RBGLINING CHAIE.

APPLICATION mum HAY 13, 1912.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

"""llii il Lm Ill THE NoRiilS PETERS C0.. PHOTC-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. D, c.

' ran srarns rerun @FFKQE.

ARTHUR M. RICHARDS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RECLINING-CHAIR.

Application filed May13. 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR M. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Reclining-Chairs, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in attachments for chairs, especially of that type with a movable back section, and has for its object the production of a device by which quick and uniform action is obtained, and freedom from breakage of springs.

A further object is the production of a device that can be quickly assembled and fitted in place, and one that is not liable to get out of order.

These, and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, are attained by my device, an embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a chair equipped with my improved device, showing, in dotted lines, the back and movable section lowered. Fig. 2 represents an enlarged view partly in section, showing the fixture in place. Fig. 3 represents a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 4 represents a sectional view on the line i: of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and showing the entire spring.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, A represents an ordinary railroad reclining chair, having a movable back B. This back is pivotally mounted on the frame 5 at 6 and comprises in itself a back frame 7, a head-rest 8 and a movable back section 9. The back frame and movable back are pivotally secured together through the medium of a fixture D shown in full size in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. This fixture comprises a spring retaining member E and a covering plate F. The member E comprises a bottom plate 10 turned upwardly at its ends, as at 11, and extended in planes parallel with the plate, forming attaching flanges 12, and secured to the chair or frame by means of screws 13 passing through holes in such flanges. At its edges the plate is also provided with up- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

Serial No. 696,921.

turned flanges 13, 14c and 15, forming, with the end flanges, a receptacle within which is mounted the spring 16. An opening is provided through the central portion of the plate, permitting the insertion of the end of the spring post 17, which is preferably held in place by means of a screw bolt 18. The flange 15 is cut away opposite the spring post 17, as shown at 18, in order to permit the insertion of the spring when assembling the fixture. The spring is preferably given a single coil about the post 17, and provided with extended ends 19 bent and forming shogullders 20 and turned inwardly, as shown at Referring now to the covering plate F, this comprises a flat plate 22 fitting over the spring, and having a flange 23 turned up at right-angles on one side, which is screwed to the chair or frame by means of screws 24;. The post 17 passes through an opening in this plate 22, and is held rigidly in place in any desired manner, for instance, by upsetting. Extending inwardly from the face of the plate 22 is a post or stop 25 preferably formed integral with the plate by cutting through a portion on three sides and bending the metal down in the shape of an ear or lug. It will be noted from Fig. 3 that one of the extended ends 19 of the spring bears against this post, the face of the other end 19 resting flat against the side of the flange 14, as shown at 26. From the opposite ends of the member 22, ears or lugs 2727 project inwardly in staggered relation to each other, leaving clear spaces 2828 between their ends and the side flanges. It will also be noted that these lugs are so placed or formed as to permit a slight play between their outer face and the inner face of the flanges 11, the purpose of which will be explained later. These lugs are preferably formed integral with the plate 24 by bending a portion thereof inwardly.

As clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a portion of the back seat frame is cut away to permit the fitting therein of the member E, and a portion of the front or back face of the side frame 7 is cut away to permit the flange 23 to lay flush with the wood. Of course the relative locations of the members may be reversed if desired for any reason.

The fixtures are placed at such distance from the bottom that when the party seated in the chair leans backwardly no strain is brought on the back at any particular point,

but an even pressure is exerted throughout the entire length. As the fixtures are rigid with respect to their supports, whenpressure is brought against the movable back seat it is at once transmitted to the spring 16. Continued pressure forces a partial revolution of the back seat about the pivotal bearing 17. Continued tension on the springcausesits fiat surface 26 to bear against the inside of the flange 14 and tends to .pull thelower end 21 upwardly, pressing the shoulder 20 against the inner faceof the flange.

The post 25 is so placed with respect to the spring .member that the spring is always under considerable tension, and when the lower endslides up and down against the face of the flange, the extreme end 21 can never engage said flange.

,Heretofore, in structures of this kind, the continued sliding up and down of the end oifthe spring member has caused a groove to be formed in the inner face of the flange to such an extentthat at some time on its return. downward movement the straight endsof the springs have caught within the groove, bringing so great a strain on the spring as to cause it to snap. I have found by continued experiment that by far the greater portion of failures in devices of this character have been through the breaking of the spring, and that the breaking of the springs was caused in the manner aforesaid. I find, therefore, that by forming the ends of the springs with shoulders and extended ends, all breakage ceases and a satisfactory device is produced.

I claim: I

As a, new. article. ofzmanufacture, a spring hinge comprising acontaining fiXtIlIB,'COII1 prising a supporting plate and a covering plate, ,acoil spring mounted on said supporting plate the end portion of said spring extending straight outwardly from said coil and terminating in a bent end forming a l shoulderawith said straight portion.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two Witnesses.

ARTHUR M. RICHARDS.

l/Vitnesse's MABEL REYNOLDS, 'MARGUERITE Mnssn'rr.

Copies of this patentinay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing'the Commissioner of new.

Washingtoml). G. 

